The Chronicles of Night: Stolen (Book One)
by Agnello Di Sogni
Summary: (During TC) Layla Iresine, presumed daughter of Hades, wakes aboard the Princess Andromeda with no memories. She is the key to ending this war and bringing the world into another Golden Age. Still, she doubts her destiny. Her dreams haunt her with warnings of what this 'golden age' will bring. Not to mention Airen, who seems to know more than she lets on. What is Layla to believe?
1. I Join Alice Down the Rabbit Hole

**Summary: Layla Iresine, presumed daughter of Hades, wakes aboard the Princess Andromeda with no memories. She is the key to ending this war and bringing the world into another Golden Age. Still, she doubts her destiny. Her dreams haunt her with warnings of what this 'golden age' will bring. Not to mention Airen, who seems to know more than she lets on. What is Layla to believe? Her friends, or the mysterious voice that tells her to find what's been stolen.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO**

Blood. There was so much blood. I looked away, sobs wracking through me. _This can't be happening_, I tried to rationalize. _I must be dreaming._

Then why did it feel so real?

Laughter rang out from behind me. I squeezed my eyes shut, ignoring the approaching sound of slithering. "This isn't real." I tried to convince myself. "It's just a nightmare." The words offered me no comfort as a voice spoke behind me, sending shivers up my spine.

"Any lasssst wordsss, half blood?" _Half blood?_ I wondered. "Or are you going to die in ssssilence like your friend?" The words stabbed at my heart, filling it with pain and rage. They wrestled inside for control.

_RUN!_ panic yelled. _Run before it's too late!_

_It hurts so bad_, pain cried. _Make it stop. Give up and make it stop. _

_Fight_, anger whispered. _Fight and avenge._

I stood up shakily, anger boiling inside of me. _Fight back_, it continued to whisper. _Kill it. It deserves death_. _It deserves to feel your pain_. I balled up my fists, clenching the sword in my hand. I mustered up all my courage and turned towards the creature. Her yellow eyes peered at me with curiosity from behind a helmet. Bronze armor covered her green and scaly skin, but her snake legs were still visible.

"You're not real," I called out, my voice faltering. "You don't exist." She stopped and looked at me with amusement.

"Don't I?" She hissed back, her forked tongue darting out.

"No!" I yelled. "You don't! So just go away! Just go away and DIE!" My breath became ragged. My outburst hadn't spent my anger, but instead had added to it. I felt it exploding inside of me, mixing with my pain. _It isn't fair! _They screamed. _This shouldn't be happening! Why couldn't this thing just leave me alone? _I wanted to charge at her. Relieve my pain and anger onto her, so that they would go away. So that the pain would stop.

"I'm afraid you'll be the one dying," she replied, drawing out a sword. It had to be at least a foot longer than the one I now held. The bronze blade glowed faintly in the dark night. She smiled and swung it around menacingly before approaching me.

Fear gripped my heart, eating away at the anger that was keeping me standing. I looked down at the sword. It too set off a bronze glow, but it looked like a twig in comparison. Nevertheless, I raised it in hopes that the sight would scare her off. Instead she cackled in amusement. I couldn't blame her. My arm was shaking so badly that I probably couldn't have scared off a mouse. I silently cursed, reprimanding myself. I knew how to fight, but I was rooted in place by fear.

"Ssssso." She was eight feet away. "Going to ssssstand," seven feet, "and fight, are we?" Six. She raised the sword. Five. "Prepare to die." My senses went into overdrive, and I jumped back. The sword sliced the air where my head had been a few seconds ago. 'RUN!' panic screamed. This time I didn't ignore it.

Before she could recover, I darted down the street away from her, sword still in hand. It was three in the morning, so I couldn't hope that by some miracle someone would help me. And I couldn't hope to out run the snake lady. Already, I could hear her slithering growing louder. I didn't have much time. I needed another escape.

I looked around desperately. There had to be something. There was a fire hydrant. Useless. There was also some discarded litter, but I doubt she would spare me for picking it up like a good citizen. A bus stop... without a bus. Yep, I was going to die. There was nothing else except for a bunch of dark alleys, and I didn't think getting cornered in one of those was going to help me escape.

Escape! That was it. A bunch of alleys had fire escapes! I highly doubted the snake lady could climb the ladders, and even if she could, it would slow her down. I looked down the alleys as I passed. None of them had fire escapes.

My breathing grew labored. I knew I couldn't keep running much longer. _Come on_, I prayed as I reached the next alley. _Please be the one_. I almost cried out in victory when I saw a rusty ladder hanging from a platform. I changed direction completely, nearly twisting my ankle as I turned down the alley. This took the snake lady by surprise, but she recovered quickly and took a wild swing at me.

The blade grazed my side, throwing me off balance. I stumbled and tripped over my own feet. My momentum betrayed me, propelling me towards a wall. I prayed for the shadows to envelope me because after I hit the wall, there would be no way I could escape from the snake lady. I threw my hands out in a desperate attempt to save myself and closed my eyes.

Time seemed to slow, and I felt like I was free falling. You know when you miss a step on the stairs, how your heart stops and your stomach drops? That's how I felt. _Why hadn't I hit the wall yet?_ I opened my eyes just in time to see the ground I was about to face plant into. My face scraped across the ground, stinging violently. I groaned in pain and gently touched my throbbing nose. I had never had a broken nose before, but I was pretty sure this was what it felt like. Sighing, I rolled onto my back and sat up. Shivers rippled through me as the temperature dropped. Where was I?

The room was dark, darker than anything I had ever seen before. I quickly got up and looked for the snake lady, but the sound of slithering was gone. Where ever I was, she hadn't followed. Relaxing, I observed my surroundings. I couldn't make out anything, which scared me. I had always been able to see exceptionally well in the dark, but here it was pitch black. Like I had fallen into a void. In fact the only thing I could make out was my sword, which had skidded out of my hand when I fell.

Sighing in frustration, I walked over to it. My side protested as I bent down to grab it. Why did it hurt so much? I used the blade's faint glow to see what was wrong, and I remembered. The snake lady had actually cut me. The gash was pretty bad, and acknowledging it made its sting almost unbearable. I swallowed the urge to puke and put pressure on the wound before turning back to my surroundings.

The room started growing colder, sending shivers down my spine. Something told me that if I didn't get out of here soon, I wasn't getting out at all. I held my blade in front of me and cautiously walked forward.

My footsteps echoed through out the void. I cringed with every step, half expecting the snake lady to jump out at any second. But the room remained otherwise silent. Still, I held the sword in front of me as I sped up. If I had learned anything from today, it was that just because you don't believe something is there, doesn't mean it's not.

My teeth began chattering, and I hugged myself in a vain attempt to keep warm. It had to be below freezing in here, and the temperature was still dropping. The thought scared me into a sprint. I had to get out of here.

I began to lose track of time. It felt like only seconds had passed, but I could have sworn I had been running for miles. At the same time, it felt as if I had been surrounded by this cold darkness for hours. I tried to shake my head clear, and began to run faster.

A wave of dizziness washed over me. I felt my energy draining, taking my will to continue with it. The burning sensation spreading through me side wasn't helping. I just wanted to lie down and give into sleep.

_No_, a voice whispered in my head. _You mustn't give up. Think, my child. Think of a happier place_. I was so tired that I didn't even consider questioning where the voice had come from. I just decided to listen to it. I started to think of home, but I realized home was where your family was. Now, the only family I had ever known was dead. I no longer had a home. I tried think of all the places we had gone instead, but I couldn't focus. I felt so lightheaded. _One thing_, the voiced whispered urgently. _Just think of one thing. Hurry. _My knees grew weak, and I stumbled, barely keeping my balance. I had to do this now. I took a deep breath, ignoring the cold and pain around me, and focused. I used all my mental power to focus on one memory, the cruise. It had been years, but I could still remember the scent of the sea and the smooth rocking of the boat. I immersed myself in the memory as the darkness began to win. I was there, running around the decks. The ocean waves beat against the boat, rocking me with it. I could actually smell the saltiness of the water filling the air. Then the darkness claimed me.

* * *

A young man slowly paced around a room, deep in thought. His face, though marred by a scar, appeared calm but focused. Only if you looked closely could you tell that something was wrong. His skin had a pale, almost sickly glow to it. The bags under his eyes revealed that he had spent many nights like this one restlessly pacing. Once again, the glowing coffin in the corner of the room caught his eye. He froze at the sight, barely breathing. An evil aura pulsed from the coffin toward him, and distress filled his blue eyes.

"I won't fail!" he yelled at the coffin. "The Ophiotaurus will be yours. I will not fail you." The coffin glowed violently bright, causing him to wince. "I won't hesitate," he replied shakily. "Thalia will be its killer, as promised." His voice wavered, but he continued. "And you will rise, my lord." The sound of knocking filled the room, drawing the young man's attention away from the coffin. His skin had further paled, and sweat had begun to form on his brow. Nevertheless, he stood up tall and called out permission to enter.

A girl, no older than sixteen, peered into the room nervously. Only when an impatient hand beckoned her did she finally enter. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail, swinging back and forth as she approached him. Her dark eyes darted back and forth between him and the glowing coffin anxiously. Even though it had dimmed, the unworldly evil was still radiating from it.

"Yes?" the boy asked, irritation bleeding into his voice. The girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath before trusting a blue vial in front of her. "What is this?" he questioned impatiently.

"One t-t-teaspoon each night before bed." She instructed. "It will help you sleep." Though much younger than him, the top of her head only fell a few inches shorter than his. Regardless, she looked him straight in the eye as if daring him to challenge her.

"Thank you," he began to reply, "but I really don't—"

"Yes you do." She insisted. "You obviously haven't been getting enough rest. It isn't healthy for you to stay up all night. It's weakening—"

"_Weak!_" His eyes flared with anger, some of the color returning to his face. "Are you calling me weak?" The girl's face paled, and she frantically shook her head.

"No! That's not what I meant!" The anger from his eyes vanished, his face aging as he sighed in frustration.

"I'm sorry," he replied, running his hand through his hair. "I've just been… never mind. Thank you for the…erm…potion? But we both should really be getting to bed so if you'll just—" A loud thud cut the boy off mid-sentence. He turned towards the sound, drawing a sword of silver and bronze. A few feet in front of him, a girl was lying face down. He gently tapped her with the flat of his sword, but she remained motionless. The sixteen year old pushed him aside and rolled the girl over. In her hand, she was clenching a brass spyglass. Red hair framed her ghostly white face, which paled further with each shallow breath. The sixteen year old quickly went to work, examining her.

"She's barely breathing, her pulse is faint, and she's bleeding heavily from her side," she assessed. The boy, however, was not listening. He was staring intently at the now brightly lit coffin. As if in a trance, he began to mutter under his breath.

"Shadow travel…" he mumbled. "Hades… child of Hades." The sixteen year old ignored him and began to furiously dig through the pouch on her waist. She pulled out a small bottle full of a golden liquid. She poured a few drops into the girl's mouth and waited for her to subconsciously swallow before pouring more. Slowly some color returned to the girl's face. A small groan escaped her, pulling the boy's attention away from the coffin. He knelt next to her as her eyes flickered open, black as night. He smiled at her broadly.

"Hello," he said. "My name is Luke Castellan. Welcome aboard the Princess Andromeda."

**Ch.1! What did you think? Please review! Constructive criticism welcome, but no flames!**


	2. I Lose My Marbles and My Memories

Saying that I was in pain was an understatement. My chest burned, and each breath of air felt like acid in my throat. My head was pounding violently, filling me with the overwhelming urge to puke. The stabbing pain in my side wasn't helping either. I took deeper breaths, ignoring the pain, as I tried to fall asleep again.

Part of my brain protested. _"Get up,"_ it urged. _"You're a sitting duck! Get up!"_ I ignored it. My limbs felt like lead. I couldn't even open my eyes, not to mention sit up. Besides, the pounding in my head was increasing with every breath I took. I just wanted to succumb to the emptiness of sleep.

_"No!"_ it yelled. _"You have to escape! You have to run." _Panic began to grow in my heart. My memories were slowly returning. Something was chasing me. I wasn't sure what, but I knew I wasn't safe. And the darkness! I had to get away from the cold darkness. Adrenaline raced through me blood. I shot upright and fell to the ground. Holding back a moan, I pushed myself up and opened my eyes. I cringed at the unexpected light, momentarily blinded. The pounding in my head increased, but I ignored it. My eyes had already locked on a door… an escape. I darted forward and threw the door open, almost running into something on the other side.

A girl stood in my way. She dropped the book she was carrying in surprise as I nearly collided with her. She looked to be about sixteen years old and based off of her tan skin, I could tell she was of Hispanic descent. Her long dark hair matched her eyes, capturing both the color and softness they held.

"You're awake!" She exclaimed. Her eyes filled with confusion and worry.

"I need… to get… away." My breath was short and ragged, making speaking nearly impossible. "There's… something chasing… me and…"

"It's okay," she interrupted. "You're safe now." I shook my head, unable to catch my breath enough to speak. "Yes, you are," she reassured. "You escaped whatever was chasing you."

"Escaped?" The girl nodded her head. I took a deep breath, trying to asses my surroundings. "Where…am…I?" The salty smell of the ocean filled my nose. A beach house possibly? I looked around the girl, but all I could see was an empty hallway.

"You are aboard a cruise ship, The Princess Andromeda." Relief filled me. A cruise ship. That means I probably left whatever was chasing me on land. I relaxed at this thought, and my desire to run began to fade. With it went my ability to stand. Realization crossed the girl's face, and she grabbed me around the waist before I crumpled to the floor. The girl led me over to the bed, and propped me up with pillows.

"Better?" she asked.

"A little," I lied. With the adrenaline gone, there was nothing to dull my pain. She stared at me with an unconvinced frown before turning away to collect her book and other supplies.

"You're a really bad liar," she stated as she went to work. Seconds later, she came back with a small glass of apple juice. I quickly shook my head; my stomach churning at just the thought. "Just a sip," she insisted. "It will make you feel better." I reluctantly took the glass from her, not having the energy to argue. I took a sip and gagged in surprise. It wasn't apple juice.

"What is this?" I asked, staring at the liquid with amazment. "It tastes like mint chocolate chip ice cream." The girl smiled as I began to drain the cup.

"It's nectar," she replied. I gagged again and held the drink away from me.

"As in flower nectar?" I asked warily. She laughed, shaking her head.

"No. Nectar as in the drink of the gods." _Gods? _"Are you feeling better?" she continued. I nodded, surprised. The pain in my head had subsided into a dull ache, and my throat was no longer burning, making it easier to breath. "What's your name?" she asked.

"Layla Iresine." I frowned. The words seem to come out of nowhere as if I had just remembered that I had a name.

"Nice to meet you Layla. I'm Megan. Do you remember how you got here?" I opened my mouth to speak, but the words escaped me. I realized I didn't remember. All I remembered was the feeling of being chased.

"I don't remember," I replied. I concentrated harder, but the only memory I had of my entire life was my name. "I don't remember anything." She hummed in reply while jotting down something in her book.

"Nothing at all? Not where you were born or even what you are?"

"What I am? What do you mean by that?" Instead of replying, she held her book out to me. "Can you read what it says?" I took the book from her hands. There was only one sentence of the page.

"All those paper people in their paper houses, burning the future to stay warm." I translated out loud.

"That is my one of my favorite quotes. It is by Margo Roth Speigleman." Megan explained.

"What does that have to do with anything?" I asked.

"I wrote it in Ancient Greek," she replied. I looked back down at the paper in disbelief. Sure enough, strange symbols rested where a sentence had seconds before. How had I been able to read that?

"What does that mean?" I asked nervously.

"It means that you're a demigod."

"A demi-_what_?" A ghost of a memory flashed in my head. Just that one word: demigod. It sounded so familiar, but I couldn't place it.

"A demigod. That means that one of your parents was human, and the other one was a Greek god, such as Zeus, Poseidon, and—"

"Hades, Lord of the Underworld." I finished for her. She gave me a quizzical look. "I don't know," I replied to her unspoken question. "It just popped into my head." She nodded and continued to scribble away in her book. I studied her, noticing the pen she was using was green with a silver snake wrapping around it. Another memory flashed into my head as I began to connect the dots. "Your father is Asclepius, Greek god of medicine."

"Yes," she replied. She finished writing in her book and looked up. "I have to go find someone really quickly. Stay in bed, and I'll be back in just a second." Before I could argue, she was out the door. My first thought was to escape. Megan seemed trustworthy, but I didn't know her. I didn't know anything. It would be wiser to escape while I could. _Good luck with that, stupid, _I mentally scolded myself, _you're in middle of the ocean._ My best bet was to play along until I could  
escape. I considered exploring, but as I tried to sit up, the world began to spin. That meant I was stuck in bed alone with my thoughts, and they seemed to have more questions than answers. Which Greek god was my parent? Who was my other parent? Where were they? Why wasn't I with them? Why was I on this cruise ship? How did I get on this cruise ship? Was it just a coincidence that Megan was a demigod too? Were there other demigods on this cruise? Was I insane for thinking all of this could be true? And why couldn't I remember anything?

I was so lost in my thoughts that I jumped in surprise when the door opened. Megan walked in with a boy about two years younger than her. He was stubby, with short blonde hair. I couldn't see his eyes though, for they were practically shut. He was also still wearing his alien themed pajamas. They stopped in front of my bed, and the boy yawned. I followed suit and was filled with the sudden desire to sleep.

"Layla," she paused to yawn. "This is Benji, son of—"

"Hypnos, the god of sleep," I interrupted in mid-yawn. She nodded, her braided ponytail bouncing behind her.

"Not only are children of Hypnos powerful in the area of sleep, but they are also insightful when it comes to memories."

"Can he bring my memories back?" I asked.

"Possibly," she replied. I frowned at her tone. It sounded doubtful. Benji stepped closer, yawning one more time before opening his blue eyes.

"Close your eyes," he commanded. His voice was soft and gentle like a lullaby. My eyes slowly closed, and my thoughts became murky. An instant later, my eyes snapped.

"W-what happened?" I stuttered. Benji and Megan, however, were not paying attention to me. Instead they were off to the side in a deep conversation.

"—by a god." I heard Benji say. Megan nodded solemnly before dismissing Benji. He quickly left, muttering something about his pillow.

"What's going on?" I demanded. Megan shook her head.

"Tomorrow. Right now you need to sleep." I was going to argue, but Benji's visit had left me more drained and tired than I realized. Before I knew it, my eyes had shut again, the lingering presence of Benji lulling me to sleep.

* * *

Luke was sitting on his couch eating pizza when someone knocked at his door. He sighed with irritation before standing up and answering it. Megan stood on the other side, biting her nails in anxiousness.

"Do you have news?" he asked. She quickly nodded before stepping into his room.

"She woke up," Megan said. She began to pace nervously around the room.

"She's awake!" Luke exclaimed.

"Well, not anymore," Megan replied. "But she should wake up again tomorrow." Luke sighed in frustration.

"You were supposed to get me when she woke up." He snapped.

"She is still recovering," she replied. "She didn't need any visitors today." There was a hint of a challenge in her tone, but Luke chose to ignore it.

"Anything else?" he asked, irritation bleeding into his voice.

"I believe you're right about her heritage." Megan said. "She was seconds away from death when we found her. She had lost a lot of blood and had over exerted herself. She shouldn't have recovered this fast. It should have been another week before she even stirred! Now, three days after she almost died, she is sitting up and talking. She has to be a very powerful demigod in order to recover that fast. It is very likely that she is a daughter of Hades, and…" She paused, hesitant to continue.

"And what?" Luke demanded.

"Her memories are gone. The only things she remembers are the Greek gods and her own name."

"Can't you cure amnesia?" He asked irritably.

"Amnesia, yes. This, no." She replied.

"What do you mean _this_?"

"I mean a god has taken her memories. There is nothing I could do to fix it. Only the god who has them can return them." A smile spread across Luke's face.

"I think we can use this to our advantage."


	3. I Meet the Pancake Theif

The smell of pancakes pulled me out of my dreamless sleep. I lay in bed, perfectly still, enjoying a moment of peace and sanity. Make that would have enjoyed, since my subconscious would not shut up. It brought forth random words from the previous day, of which began to continuously echoed in my head.

_Princess Andromeda. _

_Ancient Greek. _

_Demigod. _

_By a god._

_Hades._

The words swirled around in my head, screaming louder with every passing second. I tried to drown out their noise by focusing on the aroma of pancakes mixing with salty scent of the ocean. The words, however, would not be silenced. They began to swirl around faster, drowning me in their chant. _Princess Andromeda. Ancient Greek. Demigod. By a god. Hades. _They were screaming to be heard. Screaming to be believed. I scoffed at them. Just because one psycho kid thinks that the Greek gods are real, doesn't mean they are. And that nonsense about being their kids? Just because I could read Ancient Greek doesn't mean that I'm a demigod. Maybe I knew Ancient Greek before I lost my memories. _What about Benji? _The words seemed to ask. _How can you explain his powers? _Powers? Just because he had a soothing voice that could lull an exhausted person to sleep didn't mean that he had powers. At this, the voices slowly began to silence themselves, leaving me alone to enjoy the quiet.

_Clang!_

I yelped in surprise, rolling off the bed. Still tangled in the sheets, I peered over the mattress. Sitting at the bedside table was a girl around Megan's age. She had blonde hair that reached just past her shoulders. Red streaked the top layer, matching the color of her glasses. She shoveled a bite of pancake into her mouth before looking up.

"Hi," she greeted before taking another bite. I stared at her dumbfounded. I opened my mouth to demand her identity and why she was in my room. That was not, however, what came out of it.

"You're eating my pancakes." She shrugged. "Why are you eating my pancakes?" She looked up, her bright green eyes meeting mine.

"They were getting cold," she stated simply. She stood up, pulling at her tank top. "You ready?" she asked. Now that she was standing upright, I noticed that she was several inches shorter than Megan.

"Ready for what?" I asked warily.

"For me to take you to my leader." I looked at her in confusion as she smirked. She shook her head in response and glanced at the sheets tangled around me. "Do you need some help?" She asked. Instead of sounding like an offer for help, it sounded more like an insult. I shook my head and began to wrestle with the sheets for my freedom. After a minute, she she sighed in frusteration, trekked around my bed, and began to assist my struggle. With her help, the sheets were quickly defeated. She stuck out her hand. I took it, allowing her to pull me up. She began to walk towards the door, signally me to follow. I remained stationary, crossing my arms.

"So, pancake thief," I started, "Do you have a name?" She stopped and turned around to face me.

"Airen," she replied. "What about you, sleeping beauty?" A memory flashed in my head. Sleeping Beauty was a fairy tale character. I frowned in confusion. Where had that memory come from? I shook my head clear and turned my attention back to Airen.

"Layla," I said. She gave a slight nod and began to turn back towards the door. "What did you mean by 'taking me to your leader'?" I asked, stopping her in her tracks. She sighed in frustration.

"What is this? Twenty questions?" I raised an eyebrow at her. She rolled her eyes in response before plopping down in a chair.

"Megan told you about demigods, right?" she asked. I nodded my head. _Just my luck_, I thought. _Another psycho_. "Well," she continued. "We are at war right now, and we need a leader to guide us. Kind of like a general. And our general wants to meet you." I stiffened at these words. An image flashed in my head: a middle age man with beefy arms, beady eyes, and a mustache sitting on a throne, demanding my death for some crime that I didn't remember committing.

"Why would he want to meet me?" I asked, my voice shaking. Airen shrugged in response but seemed to notice my dread.

"If you want," she proposed, "I can hook you up with a Pegasus. You could escape before your meeting." Her voice was dead serious, but I knew it was a joke. Or maybe it was a challenge. Maybe she was testing me, seeing if I was a coward or not.

"I'm good," I replied, swallowing my fear. I couldn't remember if I used to be a coward, but this new me sure as heck wasn't. "Take me to your leader." I expected her to smile at my recognition of her joke, but instead she looked at me with sorrow as if I just had sealed my fate. I was about to question her about it, but a smirk quickly replaced the sorrow as if it had never been there at all.

"Not so fast," she argued. "Now it's my turn for 20 questions." I started to protest, seeing as I only got three questions, one of which was still unanswered, but she silenced me with a wave of her hand. I mean literally silenced me. As in I was talking, but no sound was coming out of my mouth. The voice in my head laughed at me. _How do you explain that? _It asked snidely. I ignored it, instead choosing to panic. Airen laughed at the look on my face. "Cool, huh?" she boasted. "One of the benefits of being a daughter of Hecate; I don't have to listen to annoying people." I tried to respond, but again no sound came out. "What was that, little mermaid?" she asked. She smiled at her own joke, but I crossed my arms and glared at her. "Okay, fine." With a roll of her eyes and another wave of her hand a cold sensation slid down my throat, returning my voice. Choosing to ignore the incident for the moment, I stood up straight and faced Airen.

"I doubt I'll be able to answer any questions, but you can go ahead and ask." I expected her to ask how I had gotten here, as Megan had, but she skipped over the matter as if she already knew the answer.

"Is it true that your memories are gone?" she asked. My eyes widened in surprise . How many people knew I was here? "I'll take that as a yes. Do you have any idea who your godly parent is yet?" I shook my head in response. She stared at me intensely as if trying to figure it out herself. After a moment she seemed to give up. "Well, then," she stated while standing up. "Allons-Y." I felt a small tug in the back of my head. That word sounded so familiar.

"What did you say?" I asked.

"Allons-Y," she repeated. "It's French for let's go." Again something tugged at the back of my head.

"You speak French?" Sadness washed over her face.

"I was learning," she stated simply. Then she turned and started walking towards the door. I quickly debated with myself over whether or not to follow her. If I didn't, I would look like a coward. If I did, I would be stuck in this world of insanity. Not to mention the war. I wasn't old enough to fight in a war. I was only… I furrowed my brows. I didn't even know how old I was. Of course, Airen and Megan certainly weren't old enough to fight in a war, and yet here they are. Then again, Airen could have been exaggerating about the war. I mean, she believes in the Greek gods. She was obviously insane enough to make up a story about a war. But what if she wasn't lying? After all, what else could explain how she had silenced me? Magic? If I was going to believe in magic, what difference did it make to believe in Greek gods? Maybe I was in a coma, like Sleeping Beauty was. That would explain my amnesia and the strange abilities. Yes, that was it. I was in a coma dreaming up this world. And if I was in a coma, what was there to be afraid of? Nothing in my head could hurt me.

Airen, noticing that I had yet to move, had stopped by the door.

"Coming?" she asked. I nodded my head and began to follow her. I stumbled as I walked toward her, and my head began to pound slightly. My legs felt like jelly. I wished I had some of that nectar Megan had given me. Or my pancakes. Breakfast would have probably given me some strength. Thanks a lot pancake thief.

I shook my head, trying to rid it of the pain and lightness that was making it hard to think. It of course did nothing. Still, I wasn't going to succumb. Quickening my step, I caught up with Airen. Outside the room, the cool sea air washed over me. The hallway was empty, except for a man and his wife, who were walking towards us. I said a polite hello, but they didn't respond. In fact, they didn't even seem to have acknowledged that I was there at all. I looked closer, and realized that their eyes were glazed over.

"Are they okay?" I asked Airen as we passed them. She nodded her head.

"They're fine. They're just under a simple hypnosis spell. All the mortals on this ship are." Venom seemed to seep into her voice, but there was so little that I wondered if it had been there at all.

"Mortal? As in not a demigod?" I asked.

"Or monster." She clarified. I tensed at her response. _Monster? _There couldn't really be any monsters, could there? What kind of sick world had I dreamt up?

"Why are they under a spell?" I asked. Airen shrugged.

"To keep them out of the way, I guess." I looked at her questioningly.

"Why not just drop them off at the coast? Why leave them vulnerable on a ship with monsters?" Airen began to scowl.

"Because," she growled. "The titan army doesn't care about the lives of mortals. They are insignificant and fragile." I was overwhelmed with disgust. Who thought they were so important that other people's lives didn't matter more than that of an ant?

"And you agree with that?" The disgust was evident in my voice. She looked back at me, her face void of any emotion. She eyed me like she had earlier, as if she was trying to figure out my life story from a glance. Then without response, she turned around and kept walking. "Should I take that as a no?" I asked hopefully.

"Take it however you want to take it," she replied. Without another word, she walked out onto the deck. I quickly followed her, another wave of lightheadedness washing over me.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this was not it. The deck was crowded with creatures of nightmares. In the pool two kids with splashing each other right next to a giant crab. Reptilian women with two snake-like trunks slithered around the deck, yet no one was screaming in horror. Some were crowding around a boy who appeared to be hacking apart a straw dummy with his sword. At the buffet a vicious looking dog the size of a car was slobbering over all of the food.

I shook my head, trying to grasp onto reality. This was all too much. I could feel the blood draining from my head and limbs as they became numb. I reached out to grasp something to help support myself, but I could barely lift my arm from my side.

"Welcome to the Titan Ar… whoa, are you okay?" I shook my head, my vision going black.

"I'm… fine." I slurred. "I… just need… to… take… a nap." And with that, I lost consciousness.

Airen ran to Layla's side as she fell down. She cursed silently. Luke had said that Layla had recovered. Megan was going to kill her when she found out. And the gods knew that Megan was the only one with enough guts to do it. Of course that didn't mean she was bold enough to hang out with her. No one here was. Except Layla.

She had been nothing but rude and sarcastic since she met Layla, and yet she still hadn't dismissed Airen as a freak, which was not good. She needed Layla to hate her. She needed Layla to be repulsed by the very sight of her. She needed to be alone. That was the only way she could do what was necessary.

"What happened?" a voice called behind her. Airen turned to find another demigod. He was a good seven inches taller than her, with brown hair and blue eyes that made most girls faint. _Maybe that's why she fainted, _Airen thought snidely. He was one of those aragant sons of Aphrodite. Will? Warren? Wesley? It was something that started with an 'w'.

"I don't know," Airen replied. "I was taking her to see Luke, and she fainted. I need to get her back to the hospital."

"Let me," 'W' boy replied. He knelt down and scoped Layla's small frame into his arms. "I'll take her back to the hospital." Airen was about to argue, but she realized this was her chance. She could get away from Layla. Layla would hopefully assume Airen had abandoned her, then reject her as the others had. Yes, this was perfect. Airen nodded her head in response to 'W' boy.

"Go ahead, Prince Charming," she replied. "I've got other things to do anyways." With that, she walked away, hoping that was the last she would see of Layla.

* * *

_Earlier… _

A soft knock at the door drew Luke away from what he was doing. Without looking up, he called out permission to enter. A boy of 15 entered. With his deeply tanned skin and spiked brown hair, he looked like a male model.

"You wished to see me." Luke turned around to address the boy.

"Yes," Luke answered. "I have a mission for you." The boys aqua blue eyes lit up.

"Anything," the boy exclaimed. Luke smiled at his enthusiasm.

"We have acquired a new demigod. Her name is Layla. She is a daughter of Hades, making her a valuable asset to our cause." The boys eyes widened, but he remained silent. "It appears that she has lost her memories."

"Why are you telling me this?" the boy questioned.

"Because I want you to ensure her loyalty." The boy clenched his fists as he began to realize what Luke was hinting at. "I want you to make her fall in love with you." Rage flared in the boys eyes.

"That's my mission? To trick someone into loving me? Why don't you do it? You are more than suited for the job." Luke's eyes narrowed at the jab.

"As are you, son of Aphrodite. It's in your very blood."

"You know that is precisely the reason why I joined the army." The boy accused. "To prove that I was more than a wimpy son of the goddess of love. You're always complaining about how the Olympians are always meddling with our fate, forcing us to relive old quests and do their bidding. But you're no better than them!" Luke's eyes flashed with rage as the boy stormed off.

"What about your precious sister, Ariel? Do you think the Olympians would even bat an eye at your request?" The boy stopped, his shoulders tensing. "If you care about her, you will do as you're told and faithfully serve Kronos, no matter what the task may be." The boy seemed to sag in defeat.

"Fine," the boy replied with loathing. He slowly turned around to face Luke. His teeth were gritted; his hands still clutched. "Who is this Layla?" Luke smiled victoriously.

"She is around your age," Luke began to describe, "with curly red hair and eyes as dark as night. She should be on her way over with that loner daughter of Hecate, Airen." The boy gave one nod, refusing to turn his glare from Luke. "See if you can intercept them on the way. Remember that first impressions are lasting." With that, the boy resumed his march out of the room. "Oh and Wesley," Luke continued. Wesley again stopped and turned to face Luke. "If you fail, it's not going to be you that Kronos punishes." Wesley turned ashen and quickly nodded before rushing out the door. Luke smiled to himself. For once, everything was finally falling into place.


End file.
